Silo.



W. A. HOLNAGEL. SILO. APPLICATION FILED ooT.26,19os.

947,334, Patented Jan. 25, 1910.

Wit-Moa o l M/MMM@ WILLIAM A. HOLNAGEL, OF SAGINAW, MICHIGAN.

SILO.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 25, 1910.

Application led October 26, 1908. Serial No. 459,552.

To all whom it may concern: y

Be it known that I, lVILLrAiu: A. HOLNA- GEL, a citizen of the United States of Ameiica, residing at Saginaw, in the county of Saginaw and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful lmprovements in Silos, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to silos and particularly to closures therefor.

An object of this invention is to provide novel means for securing a series of doors in the opening of a silo, the said doors being applied one above the other as the silo is filled. That is to say, when the silo has been filled to the height of one door, a second door is applied to the opening and is secured in place by novel means which will effect a tight joint between the door and theV wall of the silo, the fastening being of such construction as to frictionally engage the door frame in order that the doors may be drawn more tightly against packing, which is interposed between the door and the wall of the silo, until the said fastening means assume a horizontal position.

A further objectI of this invention is to provide means for arresting the door fasteners when they have reached a predetermined position, preferably when the handles thereof are horizontal, in order that the said handles may be used as steps for gaining access to the top of the door or doors.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a metal frame for the door and in conjunction therewith fastenersl having shoulders adapted to engage the edges of the frame, whereby movement of the fasteners is limited as stated and whereby the said fasteners are held in the horizontal position heretofore described.

With the foregoing and other objects in drawings forming part of this specificationwherein like characters denote correspond- 'ing parts in the several views, in which- Figure l, illustrates a horizontal sectional view; Fig, 2, illustrates an enlarged detail 'view sho-ving a fragment of a silo with a door applied thereto; and Fig. 3, illustrates a. perspective view of one of the levers.

In these drawings A, A, denote side staves of silo which are tongued and grooved and B, a sill secured inside of the silo and having recesses b, forming seats for the staves. The edges of the staves forming the sides of the door opening are recessed as shown at C, to form seats for the vertically disposed metallic strips of the metallic frame, the said metallic frame comprising the vertically disposed metallic strips D, and the horizontally disposed metallic strips E, secured together by fastenings F, which may be in the form .of rivets, bolts, or the like'. The horizontally disposed metallic strips are also secured to the staves by means of fastenings G, here shown in the form of screws although bolts or the like may be substituted therefor.

A series of doors N rabbeted longitudinally are adapted to bc applied to the opening in the silo as the .said silo is filled and each door is adapted" to bear against the inner surfaces of the staves A, or against the interposed packing H, which may be pressed between the rabbeted edges of the door and the inner surfaces of the staves for the purpose of forming a weather-proof joint and this packing may be in the form of cotton, rope, or the like.

The means for clamping the doors in place comprise levers having heads I, with transverse recesses forming shoulders J, adapted to engage the edges of the vertically disposed strips D, when the handle K, of the lever is standin in a horizontal position. The levers are'pivoted to the door by means of bolts L which pass through the doors N and the vertical side rails O secured thereto, said rails serving as a bearing surface for the levers K and at the same time strengthening the door body N, and the said levers are free to rotate on the said bolts until the shoulders J, contact with the edges'of lthe strips D. When the parts have been brought to thel position shown in Fig. 1, or to the position of the right hand leverl in Fig. 2, the handles K, of the levers can be used as steps for climbing to the top of the doors which have been placed in the silo, as owing to the fact that the shoulders J, engaging the strips D, limiti, the movement of the levers, the said levers will serve as a ladder for the ascent and descent of an operator.

The inner faces M, of the ends of the levers are preferably beveled to act as a cam against the outer surfaces of the strips D, in

order that they 'will draw the doors out- Wardly es the comming surfaces ride over the outer surfaces of the said strips.

l. A silo com rising staves spaced to form an o ening, a rame having vertically disose strips at the edge of the opening,

oors for said opening and means for bringing said doors into orcive engagement with the staves,' comprising levers pivotally mounted on the doors, said levers having enlarged `heads provided with transverse recesses forming shoulders, said recessed portions being beveled to rictionally engage said vertically disposed strips when said levers are rotated.

2. A silo, comprising stoves spaced' apart to form an opening therebetween, a bottom sill for said staves, oframe secured to said senese 4staves flush with the surface thereof, said frame having vertically disposedjstrips at the edge of the opening, doors for said opening, said doors having vertical side rails, levers pivotally mounted on the doors in frictional engagement with the rails and vertically disposed strips, said levers having enlarged heads provided with transverse recesses forming shoulders, said shoulders being adapted to abut the edge of said strips when'the levers are brought to a horizontal position, to hold the same against rotation.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM A. HOLNAGEL.

Vitnesses:

HENRY E. NAEGELY, CLARA L. DAVIS. 

